International Invitational Closes The Alpan Gallery

When June comes to a close, so does The Alpan Gallery in Huntington. The cutting edge contemporary gallery is shuttering its doors on June 30. The final show is the Alpan International 2010 which remains on view through June 19.

Alpan International 2010 features artwork selected by Hitomi Iwasaki, the director of exhibitions and curator of the Queens Museum of Art. There are nine artists in the show. They are Joomi Chung, Jane V. Eynden, Jacek M. Fraczak, Bryan Florentin, Myles Kleinfeld, Katherine Mann, James Murray, Jennifer Nelson and Jennifer Purdum. Joomi Chung won Best in Show for her ink drawing on clear acetate titled Relics.

Alpan Gallery operated from its Huntington space for nine years. Before that, it was located in Roslyn for 14 years. It has operated as a non-profit art space since 2005. Founding director Nese Karakaplan decided to revamp Alpan after attending Art Basel in Miami, Florida last year. While there, it struck her that an art consultancy firm was better aligned with her personal interest in creating art collections.

Alpan research associates will attend key art fairs (such as London, New York, Miami) and biennials (including Venice and Istanbul) to keep connected to the contemporary art world. By September, the transition from Alpan Gallery to AFA (Alpan Fine Art) will be completed. A new website will be unveiled at that time.

Ms. Karakaplan reflected on the many satisfying aspects of running Alpan Gallery. Curating shows was one of those highlights. She cited curating the recent show, Contemporary Mark Making: Blurring the Lines Between Writing and Drawing as a noteworthy undertaking. The exhibition was reviewed by The New York Times.

Alpan Gallery is located at 2 West Carver Street, Huntington, New York. For information, call 631-423-4433 or visit www.alpangallery.com. The gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.